Violation of cosmic censorship in dynamical $p$-brane systems

Abstract

We study the cosmic censorship of dynamical $p$-brane systems in a $D$-dimensional background. This is the generalization of the analysis in the Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton theory, which was discussed by Horne and Horowitz [Phys. Rev. D 48, R5457 (1993)]. We show that a timelike curvature singularity generically appears from an asymptotic region in the time evolution of the $p$-brane solution. Since we can set regular and smooth initial data in a dynamical M5-brane system in 11-dimensional supergravity, this implies a violation of cosmic censorship.